On June 22, 2023, a law called Bill C-22 was approved, which is good news. However, now, the important part is to figure out all the specific things about the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB).
However, the CDB is not happening yet because we still need to decide things like who can get it, how much money people will get, how to appeal if there is a problem and other important things. Once we figure all that out, we will make official rules (called “regulations”) to explain them in the law.
- Bill C-22 Payment Dates
- When will they decide on the rules, and when does the law start
- What happened at the August information session
- The government mentioned there will be two steps to make the rules. Here is how they will do it
- People with Disabilities NEED income support now. When will the Canada Disability Benefit be available
Bill C-22 Payment Dates
Royal Assent is when important people in the government agree that a Bill is okay and do not want to change anything. This happened to Bill C-22, the law that made the CDB, in June. So now, it is a real law.
However, the law does not start working right away. The people who made the law want some time to figure out the details before it starts working. They designed it this way on purpose. So, there might be a little wait before the law actually starts working, even after it gets Royal Assent.
The words in Bill C-22 did not decide everything about the law. They left some decisions to be made later, but these decisions have to be made before the law actually starts working. This must happen by June 22, 2024.
People who can get the CDB will start getting it when the law starts working, or there might be another date in the “regulations” that says when they can get it.
Think of it like building a car. We have been thinking about how to make the CDB for a while, but by making the law in June, we have set up the process to make it. We know what the CDB should have, but the process of making it is just starting. Once we finish all the details in the “regulations,” the law will start working.
When will they decide on the rules, and when does the law start
We have some new information about when the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) will start, but we still do not know the exact date. The only thing we are sure about is that it must begin no later than June 22, 2024. The rules in the “regulations” will decide if the CDB starts on that date or later.
On July 24, 2023, the government told us their plan for making these rules. They will do it in two parts, and we are in the first part now. At the end of August, they had a meeting to explain how this would work.
What happened at the August information session
In August, ISAC joined an online meeting with more than 100 other groups and people who were interested. They talked about how they are making the CDB and when it will be ready, but they did not discuss the specific things about the CDB itself, like who can get it or how much it will be.
The people from the government who are making the CDB said that the next step is to have more discussions and meetings with experts, people who care about this, and those with disabilities to get their opinions on important parts of the rules. This will begin in September 2023.
The government wants to do an online survey, and they will share an email address or a website where regular people can send their ideas. When the government team working on the CDB gives out their survey and email address, we will tell everyone about it and let them know if there are other ways for people with disabilities to be part of making this benefit.
At the meeting, some groups said they are worried that the government’s plan looks like a usual way of making rules and not a teamwork-style way. The government’s response was to think about this feedback and consider it when they plan the upcoming meetings and discussions.
Like we told you before, the law says the government has to tell us how well they are working together with others in about six months from when the law was made. So, we might get an update at the end of this year to see how things are going.
We also mentioned that the law says the government has to tell us how they are doing with making the rules within a year. We will put a reminder on our calendars to check for these updates around the end of 2023 and in the middle of 2024. We hope that making the rules will happen quickly during this time and that they will include the “Nothing about us, without us” idea.
Important Links
The government mentioned there will be two steps to make the rules. Here is how they will do it
First, they will talk to experts and people interested in meetings. After that, they will share their ideas for the rules in a newspaper called the Canada Gazette. This is how they usually make rules.
When they put their draft rules in the Canada Gazette, everyone can see what the government thinks about important things like who can get the benefit, how much it will be, how to appeal if there is a problem, and how to get it.
The government’s press release from July 24, 2023, tells us that in the second step after they share their draft rules in the Canada Gazette, people in Canada can read them and give their thoughts.
The government will look at what people say and might change the rules based on their feedback. Once they are done with this, the final rules will be put in the Canada Gazette, and then they become official.
The press release also mentions that the government will talk with provincial and territorial governments to make sure they do not take money back from people with disabilities who get the CDB. Some other federal benefits already do not allow this.
The government has to make sure this does not happen so that the CDB helps people with disabilities who are struggling financially. If they do not, it will keep these people in poverty.
People with Disabilities NEED income support now. When will the Canada Disability Benefit be available
People with disabilities really need money to help them now. However, it is not easy to say when the Canada Disability Benefit will start. It might take one to two more years.
Some groups and people with disabilities want the government to give them emergency money right away to help them.
There are also ways to make it easier for people with disabilities to get help from the Disability Tax Credit and other benefits. While they are making the Canada Disability Benefit, we will keep asking for these other benefits to get better.
